2026 LHP Beckett Doane finds home with Mississippi State

Just a couple of years ago, Beckett Doane was a tall, lanky kid that just loved playing basketball but life is changing for him.

Once 6’4, 140 pounds in the eighth grade, Doane has put in the work to mold himself into an SEC ball player and it’s not on the basketball court. While his love for the hardwood hasn’t changed, Doane’s future is on the mound and the left hander is quickly showing why he can be one of the top LHP in the 2026 class.

“I have a really unique delivery. It’s funky because I hide the ball well,” Doane said. “I think what really drew the interest from a lot of schools is I throw strikes with fastball, sinker and slider. I’m a worker. I’ll get after it in the weight room.”

Bulldogs among first to build relationship

Doane is now 6’6, 210 pounds. His fastball is climbing the velocity charts and his phone has been lighting up from coaches around the country reaching out. When coaches were allowed to make contact on August 1, the phone was buzzing.

Six minutes into the 12 o’clock hour, Mississippi State pitching coach Justin Parker got in touch with the Indiana standout. Parker’s ties to Indiana are strong having coached with the Hoosiers during his career and he heard about Doane’s abilities from his travel ball coach.

The two hit it off almost immediately and Doane scheduled his trip to Starkville.

“I was one of the first guys that he texted,” Doane said of Parker. “I was looking for someone that was a little old school. I wanted to find someone that had a blend of that old school coaching and that followed the data and he was that. I could tell that he really cared and wanted everyone to get better. Talking to (2025 commitment) Parker Rhodes and other guys, I found out that he was like that.”  

Doane visited State last week after taking a trip to see the Texas Longhorns. The trip to see Texas was going to be tough to top and Doane began to picture himself in burnt orange after he left Austin.

Starkville was going to be sandwiched between that visit and trips to Indiana, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Kentucky, but that changed. Just a couple of days in the town and seeing what Dudy Noble Field had to offer had Doane hooked.

“College is a big leap, but I want to play in the MLB one day and I wanted to go to a place that would develop my skills and also allow me to play in a great stadium. The culture is so great and the fanbase is like pitching in an MLB stadium. They’ve coached at IU and coached in the Midwest so I knew that they would help this Hoosier play in the south,” Doane said.

“I’m confident so I believe that I would play right away anywhere so that wasn’t all that important. What really gave Mississippi State the edge is that my family lives in Memphis and my brother lives in Jackson playing golf at Belhaven. So I’m excited to get to see them more.

“I didn’t really know what to expect going to Mississippi, but I got there and thought it was cool. I saw the Palmeiro Center, the Dude, the weightroom and pitching lab. Talking to some of the guys I realized it was the place because it checked all of the boxes.”

Last season was the breakthrough year for Doane as he began to develop into his 6’6 frame. The fastball is sitting in the high 80s and topping out at 91 with a sinker at 87-88 and slider at 80-81. He’s also developing a curveball that he hopes to have down by the start of his junior season this year.

In 40.1 innings last season, Doane gave up 10 earned runs as he had a 1.74 ERA with 50 strikeouts and 15 walks pitching for Noblesville. In a couple of seasons, that environment that Doane pitches in will be significantly different.

Doane lives for the energy that Dudy Noble Field will produce. He’s ready for his moment.

“My whole life I’ve always thought that the more fans in the stands the better,” Doane said. “I want to leave a good impression on the people in the stands and when I know that they’re coming to watch me and Mississippi State that puts a chip on my shoulder.”

Doane is the second commitment this week from the 2026 class. On Wednesday, State landed a pledge from Texas two-way star Landon Brown.